Practice of metta and the English Problem, by John Aske

The Venerable Anuruddha had a problem. The tried and tested methods of teaching the metta (loving-kindness) practice did not seem to work with the English. There had to be a solution. The Venerable Anuruddha sat down and went over the facts.

The metta practice rests on the basis of loving oneself, or at least liking oneself. Without this step, no further progress is possible, either in the metta practice or in the practice of any of the Brahma Viharas (the Divine Abidings, that are — apart from anything else — the mortar of the holy life). And with the English — the men at least — this first step was proving very difficult, if not impossible.

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I relate to this having had to deal with depression most of my life. A senoir monk recently said this to me: You don’t know you are a good man! This had me thinking for the next few days. In the end it came down to this TRUST MYSELF! (Better than the direct approach; love yourself!)

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